


Works For Zahks Twitter

by HeartOfValinor



Category: Recollect (ARG/Webseries)
Genre: Amalgus (Recollect), Geist (Recollect), Multi, Nightmares (Recollect), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28278984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfValinor/pseuds/HeartOfValinor
Summary: In order to keep the things I write for Recollect archived I'm placing them here. This is canon.





	Works For Zahks Twitter

As the last light of day faded from the forest, a lone hunter sat on a bed of pine needles, pressed against the decaying remains of a long fallen ancient pine. With the coming of the night the snow- which had fallen like a whisper throughout the day became a squall of powdery flakes and diamond dust. The hunter shifted, trying to use the underbrush as a better shelter while his body shook with both the cold and the overdose of caffeine he’d subjected himself to. Straining his ears he bowed his head and focused on the forest around him, listening for any signs of the unnatural among the descending gloom. 

He didn’t have to wait long, as a scream ripped through the peace of the forest. It was unnatural and the hunter didn’t have to guess about it’s source. It was too big to be a feral, and… almost human sounding. The hunter groaned quietly as he stood, cold joints straining to hold him up and muscles aching in protest from the cold. He had to get moving and loosen them up, the entire deck was stacked against him tonight and there was a good chance he wouldn’t leave this forest. 

He knew this before he entered, he was a single man and completely alone against a nightmare. Normally it took at least three to five capable hunters to take one down, but he was the only one left and something had to be done before innocent people were destroyed by the monster. He couldn’t afford anymore time, another day could mean several lives lost and killing the monstrocity would be even harder. He raised his rifle and patted his coat; checking that his extra ammo was within easy reach and crept like a phantom through the snow. 

Despite his ears pitched to hear every single sound around him, his mind wandered. He thought about his new home and how he wished this nightmare would simply vanish so he could go back and warm his frozen body in front of the fireplace. How he wanted to go to bed and get up for work in the morning, he wanted to be back at the bar and having drinks- laughing with the farm hands who he’d come to know as friends. It was a voice that snapped him out of his daydream. It was human, nothing like the unnatural roaring. The hunter picked up his pace, fighting his way through the snow and stopping in his tracks when he saw it. 

The nightmare was obviously injured somehow. It laid in the snow and mud, thrashing and crying out while the person he heard tried to calm it down. 

“Xion! Please…” He pleaded, stepping closer to the nightmare. “Look at me, you have to calm down before someone hears-” Suddenly the human turned to the hunter, an eye the color of a stunning sapphire narrowed along with his two normal ones- an inhuman. The hunter had no time to react as they were tackled, their rifle knocked out of their hand and a knife pointed at them. “Who are you!? Amalgus?” his attacker shouted. “No normal person carries a gun like that, where’s the rest of your group!” 

“I’m not Amalgus! My name is Zahk Eckhart… I’m from Geist!” He would have fought if the blade wasn’t pressed against his throat in a looming threat. “I can help you!” He added in a desperate hope to diffuse the situation. The male on top of him merely stared, holding his gaze with his three eyes until he suddenly got up, leaving Zahk to check his throat and pull himself out of the slush. 

“You’re not bonded to him, are you?” Zahk asked, watching the man move over to the nightmare as it seemed to settle a bit, blonde hair dropped down around his face as he whispered something to it. 

“No, we were both prisoners of Amalgus, their… projects... “ He snarled at the last part. “He was fine, until they did something to him. They blasted him with sigma, it’s made him lose control” He looked at Zahk and sighed. “My name is Lewis, and this is Xion.” 

“I woke up further East a while back, I’m assuming we’re from the same place- not here.” Zahk tried to approach but was met with a dense wall of radiation that caused his nose to burn, he scrambled back and shook his head. “Are you ok?” He asked Lewis, who was trying to console the nightmare as it appeared to be crying in the half frozen mud it’s thrashing had made. 

“I’m fine, a little sick but I’ll be ok once I can get him normal again… however I do that.” Lewis moved to get ahold of Xion’s face, but the instant he did the nightmare flew into a rage. It hit the inhuman with one of his arms, sending him rolling across the snow and stood to it’s full stature. Though it wasn’t much taller than him, Zahk backed off when it let off a roar. He had no choice now, he raised his rifle and aimed it right at the creatures torn face. If he didn’t kill it now, they would both be killed.

“STOP!” Lewis screamed, but whatever he was going to say next was cut off as vines emerged from the ground, picking him up and pulling him back and away from Xion as he raged. Zahk tried to scramble away but was caught by the same vines and pulled in the same direction to be placed beside Lewis. Between them and the nightmare more vines erupted from the frozen ground, scattering rocks and ice as something rose. It was a remotely humanoid form, and massive. A deer skull rested on top of a pile of dirt, branches and vines, all writhing as it stood before the rampaging nightmare. 

Zahk knew he should be terrified, he had been moments prior, but seeing this new entity gave him a strange and deep sense of peace and calm. The burning of the radiation in this chest and nose faded as he smelled the scent of moist earth, clean water and evergreen. A deep bellowing sound filled the air as more vines ripped from the forest floor to coil around Xion and gradually it calmed. 

“Don’t hurt him!” Lewis cried out and the strange being turned, looking back with the horns of the skull creating a mighty crown about it’s head. Lewis panicked slightly as he was lifted from the ground and brought to the creatures eye level. Lewis stopped struggling and stared at it like he had done with Zahk. 

“Lewis!” Zahk called his name but it was no use. The ground behind the entity shook, and Xion sank into it and Zahk still couldn’t bring himself to feel proper fear, but watched as Lewis was slowly lowered to the ground and set down gently. The creature then looked at Zahk for a moment before it also pulled into the earth, leaving no trace it had been except for some disturbed earth. “Lewis!” Zahk stood, now free from the vines and ran to the man who shook himself back to awareness. “Lewis, are you ok?” Zahk placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into Lewis’ face. He looked exhausted and god knew how long he’d been forced to deal with the elements before he’d walked up on them. The brunette nodded and pulled Lewis onto his shoulder. He needed to get him back to the house and in a hot bath, getting him warmed up and fed was his first priority, he also desperately needed it. 

Zahk made it back to his truck without incident and got the blonde loaded into the passenger seat. At some point he’d just passed out and Zahk guessed it was sheer exhaustion. They could deal with all that just happened to them once they recovered from it. Pulling himself up into the driver's seat, Zahk cranked the truck and flipped the heat full blast. His snow chains rattled as the old truck drove them slowly back home.


End file.
